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As 23-year-old Filo Ebid belted out the final notes of Jennifer Hudson’s 2006 rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, the singer and actor from Dublin was met with a thunderous applause from Monday night’s “American Idol” audience.
But despite the massive support from the crowd in the room, Ebid’s performance was not enough to put him and fellow contestant Ché Chesterman in the final Top 10 contestants.
Ebid, a Dougherty Valley High School alum, captivated audiences from the beginning of the 23rd “American Idol” season. From his version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel to his performance of Adele’s “Skyfall” last week that placed him in the Top 14, the young performer quickly gained a fanbase among lovers of the show — many of whom expressed disappointment on social media about Monday night’s outcome, saying he was robbed.
The episode, titled “Iconic Idol Moments”, featured singer, actress and past “Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino, who mentored the current contestants, including Ebid, prior to their performances.
Ebid said during the episode that he has so much admiration and respect for the singer — especially after she rallied and won the 2003 season of “American Idol”. He said just being able to sing Hudson’s song in the same room as Fantasia was so meaningful.
One of the things the two worked on in preparation for his performance was to let some of the notes breathe more throughout the song and to really make the song his own, rather than trying to imitate Hudson.
“It’s not me covering an iconic moment; it’s me having an iconic moment,” he said during the show.
After a cascading vocal run to end his emotional performance, Ebid was met with the booming applause from the crowd and all three judges giving him a standing ovation as he shed some tears.
“Really and truly, the way you controlled from beginning to end … that was the best performance I have ever seen from you,” judge and music icon Lionel Richie said during the show.
However, despite judge and country music star Carrie Underwood telling Ebid he just needed to keep doing everything that he did while on stage, his powerhouse performance was not enough for the viewers at home and he was ultimately eliminated.
